Passive

There are 3 persons in this song: Maynard Keenan, the Doctor, and the Dead Man. The setting int stated, but since the Dead Man is lying down (Maynard leans over him) it could be in a hospital most likely. We just know there is a doctor. The first event is the passing of the Dead Man (where and when, who knows), and the second event is the span of the song recounting Maynard's attempts at a resuscitation of sorts. Now, the questions should be: Are the 3 participants representing any particular people or groups of people? What motivates Maynard to awaken the Dead Man? How do you reconcile passive-aggression with being dead? These questions will lead you to the meaning of this song. Understanding passive-aggression and what that type of strategy stems from will give you insight into this song. The tragedy for Maynard's character is that it was his own antagonism for the Dead Man that caused the Dead Man's eventual killing of Maynard.

This song began as a creation of the Maynard James Keenan/Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) project known as Tapeworm.